Since we're into old-school shaving, I was wondering if anyone uses an old-school reel mower to mow their lawn. I was looking into getting one. any advice?
nope, no advice, though I have toyed with the idea myself. Saw some new ones at Lowe's a few weeks ago, surprisingly expensive - still affordable, but I wasn't expecting that much; of course, that was one model, and at Lowe's, there's probably some cheaper elsewhere, or, like our hobby we share here, a vintage model in someone's yard somewhere
I use one and i'm a small motor mechanic. It may sound like that's putting me out of a job but I absolutly love my reel mower. Super quiet, incredibly gentle on your lawn and mulchs the grass quite well. It is more work then your standard push mower, and certain brands are far better as far as getting the blades sharpened. I shop from a company called lee valley tools, and there reel mower (which i have) can be sharpened very simply at home with some lapping compound and about an hour. Other units can cost 20-30 ish to get sharpened at a shop on there machines. IMO no pollution, no noise and a little extra excercise is ten fold worth it. Plus theres a grand total of what 4 moving parts. Makes maintenance pretty cheap.
The ones at Lowe's are decent ones. If you can find a used one, just make sure it wasn't sitting outside for too long.....rust makes them hard to use.
My family had one, and it worked; but while I don't like the idea of everything having a motor, a lawnmower works a whole lot better with one than without one. Those blades still have to turn fast to do the job, and you have to be the engine for them. You'll get some exercise, if that's what you're looking for. They're good for small areas. But if you have a large lawn, I'd stick with a motorized lawnmower. Not necessarily a $12,000 uber-tractor, but something with a motor to spin the blades.
by all means yeah, if your mowing your lot in the city there awsome. If you have 2-3 acres in the country you'd be nuts to reel mow it. If your looking for a top quality lawn theres a reason golf courses use reel mower assemblys, there easier on the grass as they slice not tear/hack. Before I bought mine I saw a neighbour with one and simply wandered over and asked if she'd mind if i took it for a test run, she was more then willing and it gave me a chance to really see how it worked. Most people won't hesitate to let someone else mow the lawn for free lol.
I used one in California when I had a very small lawn. It worked very well and was very low mainenance. It was also much more work when mowing. I have a moderate sized lawn now and went with a regular gas mower. I'd say the reel mowers are great for small lawns but not for anything of significant size. Look at online reviews before buying one. Some are easier to push and maintain.
I bought a cheap one to do around our pool area - I think the brand is Talon but don't hold me to that (it's 5am and I am not going out to the shed to check!). I've found it works pretty well, but because the blade sits between the wheels you cannot get very close to edges. Also, don't let the grass get too long or you are in for a hard time. The grass catching basket can be a bit fiddly to get on and off and not all of the grass is caught in it, but that may be a brand issue. All in all, I'd say if you are interested, go for it. You can get them quite cheap, they are good exercise and they do a nice job of cutting the grass. James.
I have a pretty small lawn and was thinking about getting a reel mower. I'm glad to read that some other people use them and have a good experience with them. When I've told people I've been thinking about getting one they look at me like I'm nuts...kind of like they do when I tell them about how I shave...hrmm...
lol everybody has been funneled in to the belief that things with batteries or motors will always do the best job of everything. I love my reel mower and the fact that i can mow at 6 in the morning while the sun is rising and listen to the birds without my old 2 stroke mower puffin a cloud of blue
Ha. I thought I may get that response as well, when i brought it up on here, so I'm glad for the positive responses as well. Thanks everyone.
I have both a reel and a motor mower. The grass here in MD is way different than the grass in FL and the FL grass mowed really well with the reel and the MD grass is just too much work. The size of the lawn is about the same too but the depth of the grass here makes it a lot bigger chore than in FL. The grass type may be something to keep in mind as well. Fl it kind grows on top of the soil and here in MD is is a thick bed of grass.
I know I'm really late in this discussion. But reel mowers vary allot. The Task Force from Lowe's is cheaply made unit starting around $70-$80 with a grass catcher all the way up nearly $300 Mascot Silent Cut 21 Deluxe Reel Mower (this thing is a beast). The newer models have a no contact cutter bar so they can stay sharper longer and still do a good job. Heck even if have a few acres a gang reel is easier on a tractor engine than like my buddy mowing a 3 acre parcel with a 42" riding mower for nearly 4 hours. He looked at me like a I was crazy to use a gang reel mower. Laughs on him, he could be done in 1 hour maybe 2 tops instead and no grass catcher to empty about 30 times
Gang reel's are fantastic if you can find a setup for a decent price, I mentioned earlier that's how golf courses take care of fairways, the big stop for many people is the cost of maintenance on a reel mower. If you don't know how to maintain the blade edge it's a big cost for sharpening.
Sharpening them is actually pretty easy. Granted you do need to know what your are doing and it can be time intensive. We had one when I was kid that had hard rubber wheels and a wooden handle that after doing a gear switch and applying some valve grinding compound and oil. My dad back lapped it and that thing worked better than our 2 year old mower with a new blade. Granted the bed knife and reels where in good shape and only dull and rusty. So after some TLC she was good as new. When something is dinged or warped there is where the money comes in.
